Device Review:  Devotec Solar Sound 2 by Timothy Noordewier

When companies release a new version of a product, it is for one of two reasons:  They want to make more revenue and did not actually upgrade the product, or they have developed new innovations that make the new product superior to the previous version.  Devotec Industries teamed with acoustic engineers to produce the Solar Sound 2, a true upgrade of The Solar Sound.  The Solar Sound 2 is designed to maximize audible performance with as little distortion as possible.

So what’s new with The Solar Sound 2?  First, the battery can hold a larger capacity of 1600mAh, versus 1500mAh on the original Solar Sound.  Second, The Solar Sound 2 integrates the developments of acoustic engineering by providing full range speakers with rubber surround and woven cones.  The speakers deliver 2 watts RMS.  RMS, short for root mean square but commonly referred to as real music sound, is basically the average magnitude of the sound.  In other words, The Solar Sound 2 has two speakers that can play music at 2 watts with minimal distortion.

The 6.5V 130mA mono-crystalline solar panel (say that ten times fast) conveys enough power to allow infinite playback if the device is in enough sunlight and the volume level is not too high!  It will use the solar panel to power music playback whenever possible.  If not enough sunlight is available, the battery will be used instead of the solar panel.

As always, the device can also be charged via the 5V USB cable (included) or the AC adapter (also included).  The Solar Sound 2 is equipped with Bluetooth and can pair with most cell phones and even the Iphone.  However, there have been some reported issues that it has trouble pairing with the iPod Touch or iPad.  According to Devotec Industries, they are working on this issue and should have a second stock available that will work with the iPod Touch and iPad.  An integrated microphone allows any paired Bluetooth device to pause music (usually automatically) so you can take calls.  Ending the call is as easy as pushing the center button on The Solar Sound 2.

If you do not have Bluetooth, the Solar Sound 2 is equipped with a retractable 3.5mm analogue audio cable (the one that fits iPods).  The Solar Sound 2 also has a “line out” jack if you wish to connect your Bluetooth device to Hi-Fi speakers.  When might that be useful?  Let’s say you’re at a party and your friend has a high quality stereo system, but no one has an iPod.  You have your Bluetooth capable phone with music on the memory card.  You could pair with The Solar Sound 2, connect the included audio cable from the “line out” jack to the “line in” jack on the stereo, and enjoy the music!  Some stereos may require an additional adapter.

In summary, The Solar Sound 2 is a slick new device that is perfect for a day at the beach, camping trips, picnics, dorm rooms, and even as a speakerphone for the office.  This review is brought to you by Timothy Noordewier of The Solar Angels.

The Solar Sound 2 Kit contains one protective case, one retractable audio cable, one speaker unit, one AC adapter, and one retractable USB cable.

The Solar Sound 2 is playing music from an iPod Touch.

Device Review

Pros:

• Quality playback
• Infinite playback possible!
• 3.5mm retractable audio cable included
• Bluetooth capable
• “line out” jack
• Charges in 5 hours via USB/AC
• Protective case included
• Gold plated connections
• USB/AC power cable included
• Built in microphone Battery supports 5-20
• hours of playback (if not in the sun)
• Improved durability

Cons:

• Delay when changing songs via Bluetooth
• Requires 12-24 hours to charge from empty in the sun…however, charging is not necessary if the device is in full sun. 
• Reported issues pairing with iPod Touch or iPad (requires HFP compatible Bluetooth)

Device Review:  Power Monkey eXplorer Portable Charger, by Timothy Noordewier

The battery unit on the Power Monkey eXplorer stores power from the solar panels.

The Power Monkey eXplorer serves as one of my favorite portable charging options due to its extreme portability, utility, and durability.  Each kit contains one 2200mAH battery, one Solar Slave foldable solar panel, a nylon carry case with zipper, a protective case for the solar panels, three different wall plugs for worldwide travel, a holding strap to attach the panels, and ten of the most common adapters.

What makes the Power Monkey eXplorer unique is that all components of the device are coated in a water resistant rubber coating.  The solar panels and even the battery unit are designed to withstand extreme outdoor situations, making the Power Monkey ideal for hiking, backpacking, or any other outdoor need.  The lightweight (83g) Power Monkey can serve as a wonderful alternative for those who do not wish to purchase an entire solar backpack, also available through The Solar Angels.  The solar panels are designed so that they can be strapped to a backpack, tent, or anything in direct sunlight.

While testing this product, I made an unexpected discovery that applies to all solar charging.  One of my tests was to place the device in direct sunlight and then time how long it took to charge.  I did not realize that there was an error in this test.  I placed the device in sunlight that came in through my front window, not knowing that argon gas inside the window would limit the sun’s rays drastically.  Many modern windows are filled with argon gas as an insulator to prevent sun damage to furniture inside.  When placed outside in true direct sunlight, I observed a 300% increase in the battery charge given the same amount of time!

The Solar Slave (included) captures electricity to be stored in the battery unit for later consumption.

The 2200mAH battery capacity often provides users with the ability to charge devices multiple times.  In another test, I noted that I was able to fully charge my cell phone for three days in a row from one single charge of the Power Monkey eXplorer.  It is helpful that the device conserves electricity by including a feature that automatically shuts off the battery once it detects that the cell phone (or any other small electronic device) is no longer drawing power.  The battery unit also features short circuit protection, over-charging protection, and over-discharging protection.  An LED lit display lets users know how much charge is available.

Six hours of sunlight will charge the device by one-third, equivalent to one average cell phone charge.  The solar panels contain an LED that alternates between red and green to display how much output they are producing.  They have an output of 5V and a maximum current of 200mA.

I would like to remind all users that water-resistant does not mean water-proof, and would recommend fully charging the Power Monkey eXplorer via AC cable before embarking on an outdoor adventure.  The only downside is that the device takes a while to fully charge.  The good news is that it doesn’t need to be fully charged in order to provide enough power for most use.

For more information or any questions you may have, please contact me at: Tim@TheSolarAngels.com.  Here at The Solar Angels we offer competitive pricing and would love to hear from you.  This review is brought to you by Timothy Noordewier of The Solar Angels.

Product Summary

Pros:

• High capacity battery (2200mAH)

• 10 adapters (including iPod and female USB)

• Nylon case with zipper

• Built in LED indicator

The LED lit display shows the amount of electricity in the battery unit.

• AC power cable in event sunlight is not available (American, Pacific Islands, United Kingdom, & Japanese)

• Water-Resistant

• Foldable solar panels

• Holding strap for panels

• More adapters available

• Safety features to prevent “device frying”

• Energy conservation (shuts off when current stops)

• Lightweight (553g entire kit)

• Available in blue, yellow,pink, or standard

Cons:

• Requires long time to fully charge via solar panel (18hrs.)

Buy now from The Solar Angels:

The riding season is upon us and I’ve got a couple hundred miles on my bike in a few short days.

I’ve been wearing my Voltaic Systems Converter and my friend mentioned it would be awesome if it were a tank bag. I didn’t think how natural a solar backpack would be for bikers, I don’t have a 12V plug on my bike and riding around in the valleys with mediocre reception kills my cell phone battery, but I’ve got the sun on me the whole time. So, obviously this is an ideal bag for bikers.

Something a lot of people don’t notice right away about this bag is that it has 4 straps and buckles that you can use to tie it to presumably other larger backpacks while camping, but I use them to tie them to my motorcycle luggage rack. Each corner has a strap 12″-16″ strap and a buckle on it. So you can either run the straps from one corner to another or loop them around something and clip them back into the same corner.  You can also see that the regular shoulder straps tuck into a compartment on the back of the bag so they stay out of the way when it’s in strap on mode. And when it’s in backpack mode all those miscellaneous straps go inside that same compartment. It’s really slick.

Converter Straps A

Converter Straps B

I chose to loop the straps back to the same corner to attach them to the “luggage rack” on my Yamaha FZ1. And it’s solid. It’s easy to get on and off, it’s not going anywhere and I tied up all the straps back onto themselves so they’d stay out of the way.

The bag stays off my back, which is nice even with a pretty upright riding position on my bike, but it also stays horizontal so it can absorb more sunshine.

Voltaic Converter tail bag

This setup is really slick and works well for me, because I have even a modest luggage rack. The problem is to use it as a tank bag the straps would have to be significantly longer. So, I’m going to be making a nylon webbing setup that you can attach to your frame and then clip the bag into so you get the full length of the straps and so that you can also just unclip the bag when you have to refuel. I’ll post as soon as I have those done and available for sale.

But if you just want the converter the way it is we sell it as inexpensive as you can find it on the internet, and if you want to use it as a tankbag I’ll give you a $10.00 discount, because I love motorcycling. So at the google checkout just type in “tankbag” and it’ll give you a $10.00 discount.

Buy here:

• Silver Voltaic Systems Converter
• Charcoal Voltaic Systems Converter
• Green Voltaic Systems Converter
• Orange Voltaic Systems Converter

GREAT SCOTT! That’s a lot of juice.

Well the 1 Megawatt Ferrisburgh Vermont Solar Farm was going to be the biggest solar powered project north of Pennsylvania, but theres a new proposal for a 2.2 Megawatt Solar Orchard in South Burlington Vermont.

This project is being developed by VESCO using Solar Trackers from AllEarth Renewables. The site for the project is at the end of Dubois Drive in South Burlington.

I was fortunate enough to make it to the planning review meeting, which was open to the public, and was held so that the local planning board could consider neighborhoods comments and concerns. While the local planning commission does not have authority over the project they do make recommendations to the state.

The majority of the questions that arose were regarding noise, affect on indigenous wildlife, runoff, danger to kids/pets, noise and glare. Also some people had some concerns because they use the land personally for recreational purposes.

I appreciate that people are afraid of change and are concerned that the addition of a new element might disturb the delicate tranquility of their neighborhood, but I would like to consider a few things about this situation. A solar array is not manned, there are no employees going there for work each day, it does not receive mail, it does not send children to school or take trips to the dentists office, it requires almost no maintenance, there are no emissions, it is for all intents and purposes, silent. The owner of the property could very well have chosen to build on the order of 100 houses there according to zoning, if they could get a second access road installed.

A few nearby residents did bravely stand up in support of the development and I was proud to see it.

Overall even without considering much greater impact of a residential development the concerns of the neighbors were easily addressed by David Blittersdorf.

Glare from the panels will not be an issue because they track the sun, so even though most solar panels are treated with an anti-reflective coating, any reflection will be directed right back into the sun. There is an exception, the panels will only tilt down as low as 30 off of vertical, so if your house is between the sun and the panels the light will still be reflected up and over your house. BRILLIANT!

Also, the anchors that AllEarth Renewables use are a cork-screw design which is twisted into the soil. This makes for a quicker installation, but also is much less disruptive to the earth. You don’t have to poor cubic yards worth of concrete to install these pole mount systems.

As far as I can tell the danger to kids and wildlife from a pole mount solar array are about the same as a tree.

This is also a Vermont Sustainably Price Energy Development (SPEED) program project. Which means the Solar Orchard will be selling electricity back out onto the grid for $.30 per kilowatt hour for 25 years.

Okay. I have seen incredible outrage that they’re getting $.30/kWh for the power they’re generating with this program. Just for reference, right now Hawaii pays almost $.30/kWh for residential power. So, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. This program doesn’t help Vermont at all right now. OH YES you say, I KNEW THAT! But, this program will help us in 5 to 10 years. Think of it like your energy 401k you pay in now, so that you have it later.

According to the Energy Information Administration the average cost of residential power in Vermont was 14.87 cents/kWh. That is about half of what the Solar feed in tariff is. But we know there is some risk that Vermont Yankee Nuclear is going to be decommissioned in 2012 which would cost Vermont 1/3 of its current production AND it’s cheapest source of power. CVPS and Green Mountain power have just signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hydro Quebec which currently provides 1/3 or Vermont’s power and will be decreasing to 1/4 of Vermonts Power. They haven’t published what the rates will be yet, but they have said they will be tied to market rates.

Those are only two factors that point to significant increases in the cost of electricity and think about it, over the next 25 years. So these Photovoltaic Solar projects cost twice as much, but are guaranteed, get that, guaranteed, to cost $.30 per kilowatthour for the next 25 years. It’s a forward looking program, and it costs now, but given how much energy prices have gone up in the past few years I don’t think it will be long before we think $.30/kWh is a bargain.

If you are interested in this shower head it’s available for sale here.

Well, I haven’t done a low flow shower head review yet. But, I’ll give you my honest opinion of this one. It costs about $40.00.

I’ve had it installed since I moved into my apartment on March 1st, so I’ve been using it for 23 days. The really neat thing about this shower head is that you can go about your business, brushing your teeth, shaving, clipping your fingernails, whatever it is you do while you’re waiting for your shower to heat up and then when your shower is hot it cuts the flow down to a trickle, just enough to keep it hot, without wasting tons of water. BRILLIANT! That feature “ShowerStart(tm)” is great, and works great. I’ve done the math, and in Vermont, based on our electric costs it costs about $.02 per gallon of hot water that you use, if you have an electric hot water heater. Evolve figures you’re going to save about $248/year on your utility bills and 8218 gallons of water a year.

Well, 8218 gallons of water is like 22.5 gallons per day, if you had a 2.5 gpm shower head before, they’re figuring you take about 22.5 minutes worth of showers a day. Probably reasonable for 2-3 people. BUT that’s only the savings from the low flow shower head, if you let your shower warm up for 2 minutes before you get in, while you shave, that’s about 5 gallons of water down the drain. It turns out my shower actually only takes about 6 seconds to warm up! So, if I turn it on while I’m doing stuff, I’m wasting a ton of water.

Needless to say, I’m convinced that this unit will save money, and water. But how does it feel to shower under it? Great! Well, it feels normal. I can’t honestly say I’ve ever been wowed by a shower head of any flow rate. But this feels perfect, it’s got a nice spread and puts out plenty of water to rinse out my hair and wash my face and body off without having to stay in the shower for a longer period due to lack of flow. I’d buy it, well I did buy it, but I suspect even after I try out the other 3 showerheads in my queue I’ll be using this one in the end.

In the video I misstated that it turns down the flow at 90 degrees, it is actually 95. But true story, I’m asleep at 5:45am and I hear my dad turning the water on and off in the shower over and over again. Then I hear the tub running continuously…

“Dad, what are you doing?”

“Your shower doesn’t work, so I’m taking a shower “French Style.”

“Do you really think I would have gone 3 weeks without a working shower?”

“I thought you might not have tried it out when you moved in.”

“Just pull the cord on the shower head.”

“What?”

“Yeah, just turn the shower on and then when it shuts off, pull the cord.”

“OHHHH!!” That’s when I went back to sleep.

Thomas Edison, one of history’s greatest inventors said; “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”  He was right in 1931, and he remains right today. The American people agree.  Today, 92 percent of all Americans want our country to develop solar energy resources, and 77 percent believe the federal government should make solar power development a national priority. That is why I was joined by 10 of my colleagues in introducing the Ten Million Solar Roofs Act.  It calls for 10 million new solar rooftop systems and 200,000 new solar water heating systems over the next 10 years.

Bernie Sanders has recently introduced a bill to address rising energy costs, global warming and America’s dependence on foreign energy the bill is: 10 Million Solar Roofs and 10 Million Gallons of Solar Water Heating Act of 2010. I encourage you to read it, it’s straight forward and only 9 pages long.

But here’s the cliff’s notes:

Bernie sites 9 great reasons sited for why the U.S. Government should do more to support rooftop solar energy production in the united states. Solar energy will help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Solar energy will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions AND conserve natural resources because it does not require new land to be developed to produce energy. Distributed solar increases national energy security because it heps meet peak power demand without requiring new construction of transmission infrastructure. Investment in renewable energies stimulate the economy by creating green jobs in the United States.

In order to be eligible the recipient of the rebate will have to be a homeowner, business, nonprofit, or government entity and the photovoltaic or solar hot water system has to be located in the United States and can not exceed 2 megawatts.

The incentives are prescribed as follows in terms of dollars per watt for PV, they will decrease over time:

• Calendar year……………………………………….. Dollar per watt
• 2010 …………………………………………………………….. 1.75
• 2011 …………………………………………………………….. 1.75
• 2012 …………………………………………………………….. 1.5
• 2013 …………………………………………………………….. 1.25
• 2014 …………………………………………………………….. 1
• 2015 …………………………………………………………….. 1
• 2016 …………………………………………………………….. 0.75
• 2017 …………………………………………………………….. 0.75
• 2018 …………………………………………………………….. 0.5
• 2019 …………………………………………………………….. 0.5

The rebate will not be more “$1 for each watt thermal-equivalent of installed capacity during calendar year 2010.” I’m not exactly sure how they are going to calculate thermal-equivalent capacity. But at the end of it all it seems like the maximum incentive shall not exceed 50% of the total installation. I’m also not sure if that is just for the federal solar rooftop incentive or if it includes the 30% federal rebate AND state incentives. I’m sure it will become clear as this bill moves forward.

RTI International announced a breakthrough in high efficient lighting technology. There were some misleading articles referencing this breakthrough indicating that it’s considerably more efficient than fluorescent bulbs. Well, it’s not. What it is, is less toxic than compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. I can’t blame these other bloggers, but if we look at the basis of the technology it seems likely that it can be more efficient than a CFL.

RTI (Research Triangle Institute) International was founded to take advantage of the intellectual capital of North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University.

According to the RTI 2/8/2010 press release:

RTI’s technology, which was funded in part by the Department of Energy’s Solid-State Lighting program, centers around advancements in the nanoscale properties of materials to create high-performance, nanofiber-based reflectors and photoluminescent nanofibers (PLN). When the two nanoscale technologies are combined, a high-efficiency lighting device is produced that is capable of generating in excess of 55 lumens of light output per electrical watt consumed. This efficiency is more than five times greater than that of traditional incandescent bulbs.

So, it’s maybe 5 times more efficient than an incandescent bulb which produces around 7 – 24 lumens per watt. A lumen is a measure of light output, watt is how much electric power is used, so the high the lumen per watt of a bulb, the more efficient it is. BUT an fluorescent bulb produces 50-100 lumens per watt. So this PLN technology is actually less energy efficient than most fluorescent bulbs.

At the heart of the RTI solid state lighting device is a blue LED. The LED shines onto this new Photoluminescent nanofiber material which is excited by the energy from the LED and then releases a white light. Photoluminescents by definition absorb photons and then re-release photons.

Fluorescent bulbs also use photoluminescent technology. But instead of a nanofiber they use a powder that coats the inside of the glass bulb. Fluorescent bulbs are filled with an argon and mercury gas and have electrodes at both ends of the tube. The electrodes are charged and pass electrons through the gas, when they strike a mercury atom they release ultraviolet light. The ultraviolet light strikes the photoluminescent material on the glass of the fluorescent bulb which then re-radiates the energy as white light.

Basically, either way you’re making light blue or ultraviolet, just to convert it into something else, and efficiency is ALWAYS lost in conversion.

So, why is it a breakthrough? Well, nanofibers are cool and LEDs are cool… but the biggest advantage is that you can get similar efficiency to a fluorescent bulb without the toxic volitile chemicals in your home or office. They should also last longer than fluorescent bulbs because LEDs lifespan of up to 100,000 hours as opposed to up to 10,000 hours for fluorescent bulbs.

Although I think this technology is very cool, I don’t think it’s a quantum leap in lighting efficiency.

Image courtesy of RTI International.

Bess, our resident eagle eye spotted the Voltaic Systems Backpack on Animal Planet tonight. I thought it was worth throwing up. This is one of our favorite products. Voltaic Systems makes great high quality products with thoughtful design features and make them out of recycled PET.

You can buy it from our website here.

If you want to see the clip from the Animal Planet Wild Recon episode it’s right here. This appears to be a staple gear item for Donald Schultz as he’s tromping around the wilderness.

Pictures courtesy of Discovery.

Device Review:  Fatcat Solstice 2.5 Travel Battery Pack by Timothy Noordewier

You can purchase this product here.

Fatcat’s new Solstice 2.5 Travel Battery Pack features two solar panels that produce up to 250 mA as a maximum current when direct sunlight is available.  They are conveniently located on opposite sides of a hinge, so that the device can be compact when stored for travel, and effective when in the sun.  The solar panels charge a 2500 mAh battery (three times the power of a typical cell phone battery).  This allows for up to three full cell phone charges from one full charge of the Fatcat.

The device takes 5-10 hours of sunlight for a full charge, due to the large capacity of the battery.  If sunlight is not available, the Fatcat Solstice 2.5 Travel Battery Pack can be charged via the AC wall charger, included in kit.  Because the AC charger has an output of 800 mA, it only takes 3-4 hours for the Fatcat to fully charge the 2500 mAh battery.  There is an LED indicator that indicates if the device is on, being charged, or charging another device.  If the Fatcat has a full charge, the LED will turn green.  Orange indicates the Fatcat is not fully charged, and red incites low battery.

Once fully charged, the Fatcat can be used to charge almost any small, portable device.  Fatcat’s advantage to that of many other travel chargers is that it allows for 4 different output voltages.  The user has the ability to choose between 4.5, 5, 6.3, and 9 volts.  It is very important to select the correct output for the device being charged.  Most cell phones and iPods require 5 volts.  If the voltage setting is too high, it has the potential to harm the device being charged.

To charge personal electronics, the Fatcat Solstice 2.5 Travel Battery Pack features 12 adapters—including, but not limited to, the iPod, Motorola, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson, and even the Sony PSP adapter.  Overall, I would recommend the Fatcat Solstice 2.5 Travel Battery Pack for travel to anywhere in the world.  I would not, however, recommend the Fatcat for long outdoor events where the device would be exposed to rain.  If you are seeking one that is water resistant, please refer to the Power Monkey Explorer, device review coming soon.  For further inquiry, please contact tim@thesolarangels.com.

This review is brought to you by Timothy Noordewier of The Solar Angels.

Product Summary

Pros:

• High capacity battery
• 12 adapters
• Travel carry case
• Built in LED indicator
• AC power cable in event sunlight is not available

Cons:

• Potential harm to device being charged, if used improperly
• Requires long time to fully charge via solar panel
• Not waterproof

You can get this unit for $10 cheaper than in this video, here, $89.95 + shipping.

Bernie Sanders announced last week which schools had been awarded a $50,000 federal grant for installation of solar arrays on their schools. The project is aimed at increasing awareness and educating primary school students and community members about solar energy.

The winning proposals not only had to provide a plan for design and installation of the solar array, but a lesson plan for the incorporation of solar into the school curriculum.

The 10 winning proposals will be submitted to the US Department of Energy for final approval.

Congratulations go out to:

•    The Edge Academy / Essex Middle School in Essex Junction.
•    Woodstock Union Middle/High School in Woodstock.
•    Bradford Elementary School in Bradford
•    South Royalton School in South Royalton
•    Crossett Brook Middle School in Duxbury
•    Bellows Free Academy in St. Albans
•    Sustainability Academy at Lawrence Barnes in Burlington
•    Essex Community Education Center in Essex Junction
•    Folsom Education and Community Center in South Hero
•    Hazen Union School in Hardwick